Yes - we recently experienced the canicule here in Chamberet. Le canicule is probably best translated as a heatwave and we had that heatwave from what I now remember for at least a week. The heat does befuddle your head! The calculation of the canicule is apparently calculated differently in different parts of France, but the definition is based on day and night temperatures when they both exceed a certain temperature for a defined period. Certainly here it was in the low to mid 30s for a few days, with the night temperatures being very uncomfortable for sleep. We didn't allow ourselves to utter a word of complaint though, since we came here among other things for the heat, as well as the more relaxed lifestyle, wine, cheese, etc.
So, on Saturday gone, we were a bit miffed to experience cool temperatures, grey skies and driving rain. This was the day we had decided to do a 'Vide Grenier' - 'Empty your attic', ie the English equivalent of a car boot sale - at our neighbouring village or hamlet named Soudaine-Lavinadiere. As family and friends know, we have a lot of 'stuff', some of it very interesting, unusual 'stuff', as well as new, interesting, French stuff found in the house here. Soudaine-Lavinadiere is a very pretty hamlet, with a large archaeological dig going on at the moment with a whole team of archaeology students. We didn't notice them flagging in the rain and descending temperatures, but they are probably well used to everything that nature throws at them on their digs.
We arrived at the Vide Grenier at 8.00, which isn't bad for the Tylers on a Saturday morning. We set up everything but the books and postcards which were wisely left on display in the back of the car. As the morning wore on, our lovely ceramics, the fox hunting teapot set (which my mother once won at the bingo - honest!) and remaining royal souvenirs from 1977 and 1981 were suffering, and the showers became more prolonged, colder and heavier. We are just off 'the mountain' around here and the clouds seemed to be clinging everywhere. I must say that the punters kept coming - maybe they hoped for sunnier skies as well - and were all very sympathetic to us and the community association which had organized as whole day of activities. But sympathy didn't keep the cold or wet away, or encourage the punters to by, so we reluctantly packed up all the sodden articles, including ourselves and were back here by 12 noon. (I should add I was also getting over bronchitis - the first time in my life that that was ever diagnosed! So much for our new warmer life!)
Other stallholders kept saying how the weather would improve in the afternoon, but we were too cold, wet and miserable to wait that long. Sure enough it did improve in the afternoon, with April type skies and showers - too late for us to muster up the enthusiasm to venture forth anew and display our soggy items for sale.
So, now it's Monday. Yesterday, Sunday, turned out lovely as well, and today it has been about 29 degrees! Cool in the morning and now in the evening, so no longer a canicule, but another scorcher during the day! Our friends arrive tomorrow from sunny Kenton Bank Foot, near Newcastle Airport, so we hope they experience some canicular weather as a change from back home.
© Marie Tyler, 2012
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